Improvement in car-couplings



S. H. LASSWELL.

Oar-Coupling.

Patented June 10, 1879.

IIIIIIIIJIIIIIIIIIIIIIJ-.

PETERS, PHOTO UTHOGRAPH UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL H. LASSWELL, OF WESTON, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 216,420, dated June 10,1879; application filed April 16, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL HUDNALL Lass- WELL, of Weston, in the countyof Platte and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Gar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a'front View of a box-car provided with my improved coupling. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the front end of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinalsection of the drawhead, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view ofthe mouth or opening of the draw-head.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

This invention relates to automatic carcouplings; and consists in thedetailed construction and combination of parts hereinafter described,and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings, A is the tubular draw-bar, which works against abuii'er-sprin g, a, .between two guides, b b, which prevent or controllateral play. The front end of the drawbar, constituting the draw-headB, projects up above the body of the bar, and is beveled off in front,as shown at c a, forming two parallel flanges united at the bottom bythe lower part, 01, of the draw-head, and also united at the point wherethe rounded parts 0 c begin by a cross-bar, e. The upper part of thedraw-head,

between the side flanges, c c, is open, for the insertion of thecoupling-tongue O, which is pivoted upon a pin, f, bet-ween flanges c 0,just back of the cross-piece e.

The coupling-tongueGconsists offourpartsviz., an upward-projectingcurved toe, g, a

sleeve, h, through which the pivot-pin or bolt f is inserted, a fiatweb, 2', which impinges upon the cross-piece e, and thedownward-projecting catch or tongue 75, the lower end of which impingesupon the raised or shouldered lower part, d, of the coupling-head.

Inside of the head B is arranged a spring, D, with its free front endprojecting forward so as to bear against tongue k, when this is tiltedupward and backward by the insertion of the link.

E is a bent lever, havin g its fulcrum in bear-.

ings Z Z in the front of the car, and operated from the roof of this byits handle E, which is inserted through a keeper, m, and may be kept inany given position by the catch or look spring 02.

The lower end of lever E forms a shoe, E, which works back of the toegof the couplingtongue 0, so that when the lever-handle E is thrownback, throwing the shoe E forward, this will engage with the curved toeg, and, tilting it forward, tilt tongue it back, which admits of thewithdrawal of the link in uncoupling the cars.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States In a car-coupling, the draw-head B,divided by the cross-bar 0 into an upper open and a lower closedchamber, and provided with a transverse pivot-bolt, f, set back of andabove the cross-bar c, the pivoted tongue 0, having an upper curved toe,g, flat web 2', and catch or tongue 70, spring D, and bent lever E E E,all constructed and combined to operate as and for the purpose setforth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL HUDNALL LASSWELL.

Witnesses: V

- JOHN G. NEwHoUsn,

FRANK Hans.

